The Boston metropolitan area is the 10th most populous in the United States, and ranks 46 out of 372 for employment — with only two areas ahead of it in job growth. Boston is the same land of opportunity it has been for centuries of settlers and citizens. So how can you find and get a job in Boston?
Finding Jobs in Boston
1. Never ignore Craigslist - The Craigslist jobs section for Boston has hundreds of jobs of all types posted daily. This is the cheapest recruitment tool available to employers (and recruiters acting on their behalf), and provides access to the widest audience. Don’t fail to check the appropriate category daily. Consider using one of many popular Craigslist monitoring tools to be notified by email when jobs matching keywords in the title or profession you’d like are posted.
2. Hit the big sites: Monster.com and Indeed.com – Don’t bother with newspapers; both the Boston Globe and Boston Herald’s job sections are actually powered by Monster.com. You can not only search for jobs, but post your resume so that it can be found by HR departments and recruiters.
3. Professionals, use TheLadders.com – A site specifically for white collar professional jobs, employers post here to save time weeding out resumes of under-qualified job seekers on mass sites. Great for jobs just past entry-level all the way up to top executive positions.
4. Check Boston’s largest employers – These companies have dedicated human resources portals that you can search for jobs on and apply through directly. You don’t have to be a doctor to work at Massachusetts General hospital or a teacher to work at Boston University; large companies of any kind hire a huge variety of support workers and professionals in departments not related to their core business.
- Massachusetts General Hospital Job Openings
- Brigham and Women’s Careers
- Boston University Job Opportunities
- Children’s Hospital Boston Careers
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center – Search for Jobs
- Liberty Mutual Job Search
5. Work at a startup – Small private businesses are actually where the most job growth comes from. Expect most startups to be looking for people with specific technical, marketing, operations, and sales skills. Greenhorn Connect’s job board and Startuply.com are good places to find these jobs. I’ve also created a site, Startups In Boston that lets you sort startups in the area by industry, neighborhood, if they’re hiring, and more.
6. Network (in-person and offline)! – Most people succeed in getting a job because people they know at the hiring company help them. In fact, a huge number of jobs are never even posted / publicly recruited for. Don’t just attend hiring fairs – go to events where the goal isn’t to get a job, but to build your professional network. The more people in your industry who know and like you, the more likely you are to get a referral to a company that’s hiring. In-person networking events, found through Eventbrite and Meetup, can be good opportunities. But don’t forget that Boston is a tech-savvy city. Presenting yourself professionally on LinkedIn and Twitter can help you be found and connect with others who will be talking about job opportunities.
